Mạc Đĩnh Chi

Mạc Đĩnh Chi (莫挺之) (1272–1346) was a renowned Vietnamese Confucian scholar who was the highest-scoring graduate in the palace examinations at the age of only twenty-four. He served three Trần Dynasty emperors — first Trần Anh Tông until 1314, then his son Trần Minh Tông from 1314 to 1319, and finally the grandson Trần Hiến Tông after 1329. Mạc Đĩnh Chi was sent twice as envoy to the Chinese court.^[1] Among the Trân Dynasty court scholars he was almost unique in that his academic degree was recognized by the Chinese.^[2]

The Mac Dinh Chi Cemetery is named in his honour.

References

1. Sính Vĩnh Phan Châu Trinh and his political writings 2009 Page 69 "Mac Dinh Chi (1280-1350) was a renowned scholar who was the highest-scoring graduate (Viet. trang nguyen) in the palace examinations when he was only twenty-four years old. He served three emperors — Anh Tong, Minh Tong, and Hien Tong of the Tran dynasty — and was twice dispatched as envoy to the Chinese court."
2. Anh Thư Hà, Hò̂ng Đức Trà̂n A brief chronology of Vietnam's history 2000 "The Trân Dynasty had to its credit one first degree Doctoral Laureate, Mạc Đĩnh Chi, whose academic degree was accepted by China"